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DETERMINISM VS. FREE WILL

DETERMINISM VS. FREE WILL. An ancient philosophical conundrum. DETERMINISM =. The theory that every event, including every human action, is governed by natural laws.

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DETERMINISM VS. FREE WILL

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  1. DETERMINISM VS. FREE WILL An ancient philosophical conundrum

  2. DETERMINISM = The theory that every event, including every human action, is governed by natural laws. Technically, determinism is the belief that a determinate set of conditions can only produce one possible outcome given fixed laws of nature. Many believe this rules out HUMAN FREEDOM.

  3. DETERMINISM IS DIFFERENT FROM FATALISM • FATALISTS claim that there is nothing that we can do to affect our lives in any significant way. For example, I cannot in any way affect whether I am going to have a fatal accident tomorrow. • DETERMINISTS allow that human actions can make a difference. • Fatalism often takes the form of RELIGIOUS PREDESTINATION

  4. If determinism is true it would seem that: • We are no more free than robots. • There is no reason to praise or blame anyone. • It is wrong to punish criminals--because they “can’t help it”.

  5. 3 DIFFERENT POSITIONS ON DETERMINISM: • Human beings have free will because determinism is FALSE (‘libertarianism’). • Human beings do NOT have free will because determinism is TRUE (‘hard determinism’). • Even though determinism is TRUE, human beings DO have free will (‘soft determinism’).

  6. Libertarianism • Free will requires a gap in universal causality. • The self initiates actions but when acting freely is not itself caused to do so. • Human decision making thus occupies a special place outside of the natural order. NOTE: This is not the same as ‘libertarianism’ in political philosophy.

  7. Objections to libertarianism • The self would have to be non-physical, yet capable of causing events. Does this make sense? • Even if it makes sense, what is the evidence for it?

  8. How to be a soft determinist • A free act is just a VOLUNTARY act. It issues from what the agent WANTS, unconstrained psychologically or physically. • Acts can be ‘free’ in this sense but still determined by natural laws. Determinism is not a problem for those who take this view.

  9. If hard determinism is true… • MORAL RESPONSIBILITY is undermined. (‘Ought’ implies ‘can’.) Do praise, blame or punishment make sense without moral responsibility? • Is RATIONALITY undermined? Can our acts have reasons as well as causes?

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